Vehicle towing device



Patented Dec. 1,1, 1928.

:ron-n w. nANsns, .or CHICAGO, ,ILLINois u VEHICLE TOWIFNG DEVICE.

`applicati@ filed May 23,

The purpose of this construction is to provide an improved device ,oithe nature of a towing line by which one vehicle ymay be attached toanotherto be towed thereby. lt

consists inthe elementsand features of construction shownand describedas indicated in the claims. Y

In the -`drawings Figure l isa diagrammatic lview show-ing a towingdevice embodying this invention, connecting two vehicles.

Figure 2 -is a transaxial section of the towing shaft I`.winding/ortake-up device.

Figure 3 is a section -`.at the eline 3 3 on `Figure 2. Y

Figure 4 is av section Vat the line 4-4 on Figure 2.

Figure 5 Iis a detail plan viewofa yportion `of the blank from which thetowing strap is `-formedat the part which forms the catch nose .of thedetent.

Figure 6 is a detail view `showing ythe 4deftent ,with its lcatch noseengaged with the towing strap.

In the drawings A .represents lthe towing 4vehicle .or tractor; B thevehicle to be towed. C indicates in its .entirety the devicerembodyingthe invention. This device .com- ,prises a casing, 120, which isdesirably, Ias shown, :substantially cylindrical in form; A.a yrigidpost or stud, 21, V.mounted fixedly aft-the ycenter of thecasing; aVhollow spool, Y22, mounted rotatably 1on thestud,2l; a Vfretractingspring,23, coiled .within .the shollow `spool having its inner endsecured to the post and its outer end secured to the spool. l24indicates the :towing stra-p whichy is a V:fiat steel strap of ksomeresiliency, but .quite lexiblawhich Ais adapted yto :be wound on thespool, 22, and .for that purpose has one end engaged Awithithespool asby having said end lhooked and ,entered in a notch, 22, 1in 4the spoolperiphery, the other yend ,of the strap being :adapted to ,extend out:through an aperture, 25, iin :the periphery, ,'26, of the casing andhaving .at its Aend outside `the ,casing any convenient ,means forattaching it to the vehicle to @be jtowed, said `means beling indicatedconventonallygby the cable, 131, which may be tied ,or .otherwisesecured, to some `pa-rtof `either the ,towing lor the towed vehicle. Thepurpose and intent of the spring, 23, is merely tov automatically.rewind or coil upon the spoollthe :fiat towing strap, 24, when thedevice is not ruse lfor towing, and when, therefore, .there .is nospool.

1927'.y serial No. 193,401.

stress :upon the strap sothat when ,thus rewound it Aconsti-tntesaseries or succession of quite loose coils which tend to expandvresiliently `to the limit of the interior capacity of the casing.Whenxthetowingstrap is withdrawn `for service and is operating fortowing, it fis .ofcourse stretched .taut from the point at which it runsoff :the spool tangent to the inner coils, if any, remaining von thespool, fand thence Vvemerges through the `aperture, 25, in thevperiphery of the casing. And since it .is not intended Athat the stresslof towing sha-ll be y.exerted upon lthe securef ment of the towingstrap to ythe spool, because that would have ltoo vgreat ,a tendency .torupture the strap or tear it from the spool, .there is ,provided as ameans ortaking the s tresslof towing and Itrans mitting .the same to`-the towing vehicle, ,a detent member, 40, which is mounted, preferablywith ,limited frange 'of moyement on the casing, 2Q, proximate to theaperture, 25, through which the .towingstrap emerges; ,and it may beeither inside or outside the casing, b ut as shown it is :inside thecasing. For engaging this detent,'-the towing strap is provided at:least atone ,point sui-tably near tits inner .end to ypermit the.maximum available length of the strap-to be withdrawn ffor ,attachingtothe vehicle ,to be towed at a convenient ,distance lfrom flle towingvehicle, avith notches, 24, 24, in its yopposite ,edges and preferablydirectly ioppo- .site eachiother, Vadapted to zhe engaged Aby l theteeth, 40a, 40a, of the ,de/tent, 40,--;mounted upon the casing :asdescribed, proximate 4:to

the aperture, 25, ,said notches having each ana-brupt shoulder Ifacingaway from the point .of securement off the strapto thespool, f

point antecedentto the attachment of the The casing, 20, is. ofimd witha lug 8X- ltending from its periphery asshoavn at27 adapted forapivotall-yy ,connecting v,the eenling to the yehicle, said lug beingapertured .for

atta-ching iiit by ,any suitable means as ,a snap hook, to the frame of'the vehicle to which the device is to be mounted for its service; and itwill be understood that when the device in service and the towing strapis under stress for drawing the load to which the device isattacl'leffl, the line of stress is trom the pivotal connection of thecasing directly to the point of engagement of the detent, 40, with theabrupt shoulders of the towing strap; and the strap being attached tothe spool intermediate between these two points between which the stressis exerted, it may be seen that in order to avoid more or less abruptiexure of the towing strap at the point of its engagement with thedetent, 40, it is desirable that the point from which the strap runs edtangentially trom the spool shall be in a direct line between the pointot the pivotal attachment of the casing to the vehicle and the pointofengagement by the detent, 40; and for this purpose the lug.4 27, bywhich the casing is attached to the vehicle has an eye, 28, at which itis thus pivot-ally attached, and the detent, 40, is mounted in thecasing as more particularly hereinafter described with its engagingteeth, 40, 40", in a line tangent to the coil of the towing strap on thespool at the point at which the strap runs therefrom for extending outthrough the aperture, 25, in the periphery of the casing at orapproximate to which it is engaged with the detent.

In order that the device may be employed with al greater or less lengthof towing strap extending from vehicle to vehicle, the strap may berovided at a plurality of points in its lengt with abruptshoulder-forming features such as the notches, 24, 24a, the portion ofthe strap anterior to the particular pair of notches which are engagedwith the detent being, of course, wound on the spool. And since thewinding of a greater or less amount of the strap on the spindle variesthe diameter of the coil at the point at which the strap runs therefromto the casing aperture, in order to make the line of stress from theApivotal attachment of the casing to the vehicle to the point oi'engagement of the detent with tlle strap tangent to the coil of thestrapon the spool at the point at which the strap runs therefrom,whether more or less of the strap is wound ou the spool, it is necessaryto provide tor the detent auton'latically shifting the point ot' theengagement of its teeth with the strap according to the diameter of thecoil on the spool; and for this purpose the detent is formed and mountedfor sliding on the inner side of the peripheral member, 26, of thecasing, staples, 26", 26a, being struck inwardly from said peripheralmember for seating the detent and guiding it in a limited range ofsliding, and a spring` 50, is provided for retrac-ting it to one limit.Said detent has an aperture, 43, through which the towing strap, 24,emerges from within the casing and extends out through the casingaperture, 25, the detentteeth, 40, being struck with notches more remoteor nearer to the spool-attached end slides the detent in the staples,26, keeping the detent teeth engaged with the strap while the strap isstressed in direct line, without bending at the point of engagement ofthe detent, the aperture, 25, in the casing boing widerrthan theaperture, 43, in the detent, to accommodate the varying direction inwhich the strap may be thus stressed.

As illustrated, the casing is connected to either of the connectedvehicles by means of an interposed shock absorbing coil spring, 60,according to the common practice for absorbing the shock of starting thevehicle after taking up the slack, thereby diminishing the liability torupturing the towing strap at starting or at any occurrence of slackfollowed by taking up of the slack in the processV of towing. Y

By reference to Figures 5 and 6 it will be understood that the detentteeth are folded so as to present the face for encounter with theoblique edge of the notches, 24, of the towing strap inclined obliquelywith respect both to the length and to the width of the strap, so thatupon the encounter with the oblique edges of the notches, the detentwill ride upon the strap without tendency to change the strap crosswisebetween the teeth ot' the detent.

I claim:-

1. A vehicle towing device comprising in combination, a casing adaptedto be attached to one of the vehicles; a stud fixed in the casing, ahollow spool mounted rotatably on the stud; a spring coiled in the spoolcavity secured at its inner end to the stud and at the outer end to thespool, whereby it is adapted t-o be coiled by the rotation of the spoolin. one direction and to react for rotating the spool in the oppositedirection; a flexible metal towing strap adapted to be coiled on thespool and having the inner end secured thereto for being so coiled bythe rotation of the spool in said opposite direction, the outer end ofthe strap being extended out through the periphery of the casing, andmeans carried by said outer end for engaging the other vehicle. `v

2. In the construction defined in claim 1, a detent member positionedwithin the easing, the towing strap having at a selected point 1n 1tslength an abrupt shoulder-formlng feature for engaging the detent, saiddetent member being secured to the casing wall and said abrupt shoulderof the strap facing away from the spool-attached end of the strap.

3. In the construction defined in claim 1, said strap having at aselected position an abrupt shoulder-forming feature of' which theabrupt shoulder faces outwardly with respect to the secured end, and adetent mounted upon the vperipheral wall of the casing for engaging saidabrupt shoulder when the strap has beeen withdrawn for uncoiling theportion thereof extending outwardly from said shoulder.

l. In the construction defined in claim 1, the shoulder having an abruptshoulderforming feature at a selected position in its length, and adetent adapted for engaging said shoulder mounted on the peripheral Wallof the casing for projecting transversely to the path of the towingstrap from coiling to the point of its emergence from the casing, andadapted to contact the surface of the strap and engage said abruptshoulder.

5. In the construction defined in claim 1, the strap being reinforced ata selected 'part of its length, having in said reinforced part an abruptshoulder-forming feature of which the shoulder faces outwardly from theinner secured end of the strap; and a detent device mounted at thecasing aperture having a projection for engaging said shoulder in thewithdrawal and uncoiling of the strap.

6. In t-he construction defined in claim 1, the strap having at aselected position in its opposite longitudinal edges respectively,

notches forming abrupt inwardly-facingl shoulders, and a detent mountedproximate to the easing aperture comprising projections adapted toengage said notches respectively as the strap is withdrawn and uncoiled.v

7. In the construction defined in claim 1, the c'asing having means ofattaching it the casing adapted for selective engagement s with thestrap, the pivot of the casing and the point of engagement of the detentbeing in a line tangent to the coil of the towing" strap on the spool atthepoint at which the strap runs from the spool to the casing aperture.

8. In the construction defined in claimk 1, the towing strap having anabrupt shoulderforming feature of which the shoulder faces away from thepoint of attachment of the strap to the spool, and a detent mounted onthe casing for engaging said abrupt shoulder proximate to the c'asingaperture through which the towing strap extends therefrom, the casinghaving means for attaching it pivotally to one of the vehicles to beconnected, said pivot and the point of engagement of the detent being inlineitangent to the coil of the towing strap on the spool at-the pointat which it runs therefrom to the casing aperture.

`9. In the construction defined in claim 1, the towing strap having anabrupt shoulderforming feature of which the shoulder faces away from thepoint of securement of the lstrap to the spool, a detent member mountedfor circumferential sliding' onV the peripheral wall of the casing andhaving an aperture dimensioned for emergence therethrough of the towingstrap, said detent member having a projection for engaging the towingstrap protruding in said aperture transversely to` the face of thestrap, the strap being cut away at a selected point in its length and ata suitable part of its width for engagement of said detent projection asthe towing strap is uncoiled from the spool and withdrawn from thecasing, the vcasing aperture being dimensioned circumferentially of thecasing in excess of the corresponding dimension of the aperture yin thedetent for accommodating the sliding movement of the detent due to thevarying direction of stress of the'tow- JoHN w. Hansi-isf in line.

